The Columbus journal., 1887-04-06
THE GIRL HE SOUGHT.

THE GIRL HE SOUGHT.
l don't know what We are to DO with
herr exclaimed Joyce feebly.
..Neither do l." said Rex. knitting his
blonde brows with an effort of thinking.
..Well, whatever we do, don't you put
your fork on your plate with the prongs
down. cried bis sister, fixing her eyes
upon him. Don't have her think US
quite such barbarians. Oh, dear. If l
only had a new dress l would not mind
so much"
Il suppose this suit is pretty bad?'
suggested Rex, regarding his coat-sleeve
obviously.
.SOf course it is" was the ruthless re-
joinder. ..Dlsgraceful!"
..Well, she can ride the cob" said
Rex illogically. Frightening up.
joyce was unutterably contemptuous.
From morning till night? We can
saw to her. Miss GRAY. of G~raysham. We
didn't want you to como to Lisle.
though YOU are II cousin fifteen times
removed. But since YOU insisted. why.
here's the cob, at least. Get on him
and"
Git" supplemented Rex.
Very pretty! That's another thing!
Do be just AS siangy rs you can! l shall
be shaking every moment of the time
she's here. expecting you to say or do
Notwithstanding odious!
81 say. Joy. suppose she brings q
maid with herr"
This time it was Joyce who dropped
her fork. regardless of whether the
prongs were down or up.
She turned red first and then white.
The idea of Mrs. Gray, widow of Cap
tain Gray. was dreadful enough. But
the thought of the maid was too awful.
Joyce burst into tears.
But tears would not arrest the hand
of fate. and In due course Mrs. Gray, of
Grayshaln, arrived.
She was a tall. 1.-the. languorous per-
son, with the finest complexion art could
produce, and a pair of wonderful black
eyes and a head of wonderful gold hair.
She had some binding toilets OF
earth or in heaven had she brought
them TO stupid. %humdrum. unutterably
pokey Isle for?
And Joyce, in len minutes, felt like
an uncombed. unyroomed, awkwardiy
caperin2 colt beside the winner of the
Derby.
..Bv-the-bye. Your next-dOor neigh
Dor is Mir. Hallett. is he not2' asked
Mrs. GRAY vi Cousin Rex" as she call
ed him with a charming glance and in
tonatiun. c!der-sisterIy. you know, and
vet not too much 80. IL know him
very well. He must drive over and see
ME, and if We are invited up there. you
will enjoy it. joyce dear. 1t is such a
beautiful place"
Joyce fancied herself appearing at
the Halletts' in her one best gown. by
the side of this bewitching queenly crea-
ture. and began looking at her cousin.
Mrs. Gray. fifteen times removed, more
than ever.
She confided her sentiment to Rex
after their guest had sought the retire
ment of her room.
Il don't care whether it's in
hospitable or not. 1 know l shall detest
her-there!"
'And a great little fool you will be-"
odIu SOuSlu INCA. DIX . q NoIy Cu0Ik1.
ing woman" and betook himself out
into the moonlight
Joyce thought he had gone over to
see Mike about the cob. But no, q little
later she saw him p~arading pensively
backward and forward, and occasional
ly stopping and looking at the moon.
She caught herself by both ears to
make sure she was awake. Rex look
ing at the moon! She did not believe
that he had ever in his life known what
it was like before.
Mrs. Gray had lost no time in ap-
prising Mr.. Hallett of her arrival in the
neighborhood.
The next morning she came down
with obvious expectations in a dress SO
b~ewlldering under a treacherOus aspect
of matutinal simplicity that Rex ap-
parently did not know whether IT were
the moon still or the sun which shone
in at the window.
Joyce also had come down flattering
herself that she was looking rather nice.
She had brushed and twisted her hair
vigorously. and studied the back and
sides with a view to new effects. Her
white dress was fresh.
But when she caught sight of her
small brown hands on the table-cloth
beside Mrs. Gray's shining pink. con-
scious nails, with their air of the world,
. frightful revulsion of feeling took
place in her. She was a perfect guy.
Everybody could see it
You'll be back when Mr.. Hallett
comes?" said Mrs Gray in sweet inter-
rogative tones as she saw her young
kinswoman disappear in the garden.
Il don't know" was the stiff reply.
Then to atone for her want of hospitali-
ty. Joyce added. uttering tho lie with
great and ominous graciousness: Il
would not leave you but that the sex
tons little girl is sick. and / must 20
and see how she is And Rex will en-
terrain you"
There was irony, deathly if covert in
this thrust No fear but that Rex would
entertain her. He had gone over to the
enemy foot and horse.
When Joyce got back she found Mrs.
Gray moving about tho sitting-room
with q sort of suppressed lambency and
.slight Observation-Disclosures which is per-
fectly Ineligible to another woman,
even though she be but nineteen, and
the most bottomlessly unsophisticated
OF Lisle-bred girls.
Nh. Hallett had been and gone. And
he had stayed. too. q long ~time-really
quite q ~conspicuously long time. He
had not positively, it seemed. been able
to make up his mind to 60.
I'VE are invited up there to a tete
champetre on Friday, Joyce dear. l
think it will be charming. MI. Hallett
was very nice"
Mrs Gray's eyes wandered to her
young cousins face. 1t was certainly
overheated from walking in the sun.
And the freckles just across the bridge
OF the small ~nondescript nose and under
b brown eyes were quite apparent in
this broad light
What a little goose the girl was to
that opaque white starched dress.
the languidly elegant widow mentally
commented. 1t made her look like a
little brown peasant Under the cir
cumstances she could afford safely to
give the child a little harmless gratifi-
cation.